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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311935">A Day Away</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/milquetoasti/pseuds/milquetoasti'>milquetoasti</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:41:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,427</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27311935</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/milquetoasti/pseuds/milquetoasti</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Humanized Cream the rabbit goes out to the daycare to pick up her pet companion, Cheese, while seeing familiar faces along the way.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Day Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by @toorurii 's #Blacktober depiction of Cream ! Thank you so much for granting me permission to write her; it was really fun. 💕 Also special thanks to @malware_inc for being my sensitivity reader; I learned a few things. 💕</p>
<p>This is just a simple story. I was aiming to try writing a more kid-friendly story this time around. I hope it comes across as such! Thank you for reading. 💕</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun finally peeks through the room which causes a sleepy-eyed Cream to tip her nose out of the covers and tilt her head to look at the window. Her eyes haven’t adjusted yet, and she still feels the sleep trying to pull her back into the sheets. </p>
<p>	Her determined spirit gets the best of her (as it always does), and she jumps right out of bed. That’ll shake it all off! Her mother has good ears. Good enough to hear a stir in the house but not good enough to hear a word of nonsense. She comes up the stairs, cleaning off a wet plate, and calls out to her daughter, “Cream? Are you awake?”</p>
<p>	“Yes, mama, I’m awake,” Cream underestimated the power of sleep.</p>
<p>	When her mother, Vanilla, walked through the door, she was met with the sight of her daughter standing in the middle of the room with her eyes closed and a mouth slightly open. Vanilla shook her head and smiled, putting the plate on the dresser and walking over to her. Cream’s eyes fluttered back awake upon feeling her mother’s presence, in which she looked up to her face. </p>
<p>	Vanilla was such a tall woman, or maybe Cream was such a short girl, but either way, their height difference was striking. “You didn’t roll around too much in your sleep now, did you?” </p>
<p>	Vanilla gently pulled off Cream’s bonnet, naturally meticulous in such task, and revealed Cream’s blonde braids. They were braided with excellent care, and it showed, placing a warmer smile on Vanilla’s face. Vanilla helped allow the braids to untangle from the slumber, separating bits of the strands more cleanly. The soft hint of the coconut oil used in her hair wafted through both their noses, which caused a shared giggle between the two. </p>
<p>	“Look at you, little Rapunzel.” </p>
<p>	“I don’t wanna be a princess, mama, I wanna be like Amy!”</p>
<p>	Vanilla chuckled. “Ohh, I see. If you think you’re so tough, you should learn to not whine so much when I do ya hair.”</p>
<p>	Cream gave her mother a pout that was right on the line of showcasing her frustration but not crossing the line of disrespect. </p>
<p>	“Come, I already dropped off Cheese while you were asleep, but I think you can manage yourself to go pick him, is that right?” Vanilla placed her hand on her daughter’s back and guided her towards the bathroom. Cream was in her little jammies with chibi stars and moons and put on some pink, fluffy slippers to walk across the bathroom floor. “Yeah! I want to pick up Cheese! Pretty please?” Cream nodded with such enthusiasm she nearly made herself dizzy. </p>
<p>	Vanilla made her stand on her stepping ladder so she could check over the braids and pulling them up into twin tails. A pink ribbon was placed on each one. </p>
<p>	“All right, all right, you can go. Just don’t be out too long, okay? And here,” Vanilla left the room real quick and brought back a new dress, which sparked practically heart eyes in Cream. “Wow! It looks almost like my other dress.”</p>
<p>	Vanilla sighed and laughed a little to herself, “yes… Yes, it does.”</p>
<p>	Cream always wore a yellow dress with a bow tie, but it was becoming faded and even tore in some areas from the mulch rubbing into her during recess. Vanilla had sewed it up so much that it was starting to look tacky. </p>
<p>	This orange dress had fluffy yellow trimming and even came with a blue bow and white-collar. She was smitten, and Vanilla prayed really hard that night that she would be. </p>
<p>	Cream rushed over to her mother and hugged tight enough like an anaconda to prey. The hug startled Vanilla, and she gently pats her back. “You’re welcome, love. Go put it on and eat your breakfast. Then you can go out in your new dress.”</p>
<p>	Cream did all the necessities to start the day: brushed her teeth, got dressed, ate breakfast, and all the little details in between. To go with her new dress, she put on white gloves, stockings, and blue Mary Jane shoes. “I’m going now, mama!” She hollered into the house while outside, peeking her head in so that her voice was heard. “Okay!”</p>
<p>	Cream pulled the door shut and bounced her way down the porch. She had a great grin on her face to show the world as she skipped down the street. There were a couple of people out: someone was doing the lawn, a couple was playing chess with each other, some kids were jumping over a water hose. Cream recognized their faces from the typical outings, but no one seemed familiar enough for her to say hi. </p>
<p>	Without Cheese, she starts to feel a little nervous. Her footing starts to falter, but she remains determined mentally. She doesn’t get to go out by herself often, and she was going to prove how capable she was. </p>
<p>	Along the way, she comes across Knuckles, who was standing on the sidewalk and looking up towards his house. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he had this scowling on his face which was just his angry thinking face. He was wearing a white crop top and gray sweatpants; simple and casual. His dreadlocks reached down just shy past his shoulders. </p>
<p>	The closer she approached him, the more it was noticeable how tiny of a human being she was to this muscular man. </p>
<p>	She tilted her head, the way all toddlers do when they look up at enormous people and called out to him. “Hello, Mr. Knuckles!”</p>
<p>	Knuckles blinked hard and whipped his head to the side, looking for the voice. “Huh? What?”</p>
<p>	Cream giggled and gave small, quick tugs on the looseness of his pants, “It’s me! I’m down here, silly!”</p>
<p>	Knuckles blushed with embarrassment and looked down at her, placing his hands at his side. “O-oh, sorry, Cream. I didn’t realize it was you.” His Jamaican accent was strong; a familiar vocal noise that rang like music in Cream’s ear. A sign of safety. </p>
<p>	They stared at each other for a second, because Cream had this gigantic smile on her face, and Knuckles couldn’t figure out why. “You look… different.”</p>
<p>	“I feel different,” she mocked his voice playfully.</p>
<p>	“Hey now, don’t do that.”</p>
<p>	Knuckles got down to one knee and gave her a scowl, but this only made Cream giggle. He was a very hot-headed man, but he never hurt the people he loved. Cream was practically family to him in the neighborhood.</p>
<p>	“I got a new dress! Do you like it?”</p>
<p>	“Ohh, that’s what it is. I’m so used to seeing you with that yellow one.”</p>
<p>	“Mama bought it just for me to show off!”</p>
<p>	“Did she?” He smiled at her; his dreadlocks slightly hitting against his cheeks as he looked over her face. </p>
<p>	“So where is mama?”</p>
<p>	“She’s at home. I’m doing a big girl errand today! I gotta pick up Cheese from the daycare.”</p>
<p>	Knuckles looked down at his watch then pondered for a second about where the daycare was. “Pretty far to be walking all the way over there and back.” </p>
<p>	“I’ll be okay! Mama says it’s good to exercise.”</p>
<p>	Knuckles let out a small chuckle. “She’s not wrong.”</p>
<p>	“And what are yoooouuuu doing out here by yourself?” As Cream was emphasizing the ‘you,’ she was pressing her index finger to his nose, pushing him back. This caused Knuckles to swat her hand down, and he winced about the reaction, looking to her for a painful reaction. She only kept grinning.</p>
<p>	“I was… checking to see if the colors were okay.” He points to his house and upon examining it, it was partially done with an off-white color. The original color was yellowish tan. The paint job looked kind of bad, and the grimace Knuckles made established that.</p>
<p>	“One day, I’m gonna have a bright yellow house,” Cream said, looking at it with Knuckles. “With lots of puppies. Thousands!” </p>
<p>	Knuckles shook his head and got up to his feet. He scratched right under the chin and tipped his head in the opposite direction. </p>
<p>	“Well don’t let me hold you back, go on. Tell your mama and Cheese I said hi, ight?” </p>
<p>	And with that, Cream skipped along further down the path towards the daycare. “Goodbye, Mr. Knuckles!”</p>
<p>	Cream was getting tired from the walk, but it was a cool day to where Cream could sit and rest here and there. She liked to rest at the park, where she saw all the people have picnics and play. She wished for Cheese to be with her right now. She swung her legs back and forth as she sat on a park bench, feeling the light brush of the wind gloss against her skin. </p>
<p>	She kept her determination strong. Some simple affirmations did the trick. </p>
<p>	“Cream?” She heard a voice and looked around. Then suddenly a pair of hands were covering her eyes. She wanted to scream in an instant, but then she smelt cinnamon mixed with grease. The sweet scent was clearly a failed attempt to cover the gross smell. </p>
<p>	“Hi, Miles.”</p>
<p>	Cream ducked her head down and over, rotating her body around to face her friend. Miles was blonde, scrawny, and looked like a nerd with his oversized glasses. They weren’t his decision, but he was too young to care. He just needed eyes to see his books late at night while he did his experiments for school. </p>
<p>	“What’cha doing?”<br/>	“Takin’ a break, what about you?”<br/>	“A break from what?”<br/>	“Walking! I’m going to pick up Cheese.”<br/>	“Where at?”<br/>	“Daycare.”<br/>	“Why is he at the daycare?”<br/>	“You ask too many questions!”<br/>	“I like to know things!”<br/>	“Then stop knowing things!”<br/>	“Then I’d be more boring than I already am!”<br/>	“Don’t say mean things!”<br/>	“Sorry!”<br/>	“Mama says never to say mean things about yourself! You start to believe them if you do.”<br/>	“Sorry!”<br/>	“At least you said sorry to yourself!”</p>
<p>	Cream then noticed Miles was holding a water bottle. She hesitated, feeling as though it would be impolite to ask for a sip. He notices this and hands her the whole thing. “I don’t need it. I got plenty back at my picnic spot.”</p>
<p>	“Are you sure?”</p>
<p>	“I’m sure.”</p>
<p>	Cream smiled. She politely grabbed the bottle from him and proceeded to drink from it waterfall style. She made an “ahh” sound and giggled. “I’ve been out here for an hour. I should’ve brought my own drink. Thank you.”</p>
<p>	“Don’t mention it.”</p>
<p>	Cream scoots herself off the bench and jumped onto her feet. “I’m off now.”<br/>	“Okay, be safe.”</p>
<p>	“I will.” <br/>	She waved goodbye to him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>	Time passes, and she finally gets to the daycare. She fans herself because despite it not being a hot day, she did walk a long way to get here. She also did this while self-conscious as not to ruin the prettiness of her outfit. The woman at the desk notices her walk in and raises an eyebrow.</p>
<p>	“Can I… help you, miss?”<br/>	“Hello, ma’am! I’m here to pick up my dog, please.” <br/>	“Oh! What’s your dog’s name, sweetie?”<br/>	“Cheese, please.”</p>
<p>	The woman darts her eyes between Cream and the computer, feeling a little uneasy doing business with a child. She complies anyway because that’s what she thinks all customer service people should do, with her very neat clothes and mature, elegant perfume smell. At a dog daycare. </p>
<p>	Cream was too small for the counter, but she could see the woman typing. “I see we do have a Cheese here in the files. I’m going to assume it was your mother that came here earlier this morning?”</p>
<p>	Cream didn’t say anything because she pulled out an ID card from her little stash in her shoe, pushing it towards the woman at the counter. The woman looks at it without touching it then pushes it with two fingers outward. “Thank you.” </p>
<p>The woman goes back and fetches Cheese, who is barking and fidgeting like crazy to get by Cream’s side. “Hello Cheese!”</p>
<p>	The dog jumps into Cream’s arm, in which she sets him down and begins petting him. “Thank you, ma’am!” The woman tries to stop her from leaving but wasn’t quick enough as Cream left the building. Cheese was still running around by her feet, which made Cream feel happier than she already had been. It just didn’t seem like it could be any better.</p>
<p>	Just as Cream was walking down the street, a car beeped behind her. Cream turned around and noticed a flashy, pink car drive up next to her. It even had eyelashes on the lights. There was no hood of the car, and the person driving it peered over to get a better look at Cream. </p>
<p>	It was Amy, and her eyes sparkled just seeing her. Cream practically squealed realizing it was her. Their gush is undeniable. </p>
<p>	“Hey, Cream! Need a ride?”</p>
<p>	Amy had on a red tank top with a plain, pleated mini skirt. She had two big hoop earrings, and her lips were so glossy that they shined like a star. Her cotton candy pink, tightly curled fro puffed out so much that just looking at them made you think of clouds. </p>
<p>	“Yes, please!” Cream opens the car door and scoots herself up onto the seat. She leans down and pulls Cheese up so that he can sit with her. He fits perfectly in her lap; little strands of blonde dog hairs float down everywhere. Amy takes notice of this and grimaces, but she sighs contently. </p>
<p>	When she looks over to Cream, she exclaimed, “heyyy! You got a new dress! It looks so good on you.”</p>
<p>	Cream’s eyes lit up, and she pulled at the edges of her dress to extend it out. “Ain’t it pretty? Mama got it for me.”</p>
<p>	“And she did really good on the picking. You’re beautiful,” Amy smiled, patting over Cream’s shoulder, which made Cream blush. “Thank you! I feel pretty.”</p>
<p>	It felt good to be noticed. Really noticed. It felt good knowing there was at least someone looking, and a ton of others looking out for her. She couldn’t think of anything better.</p>
<p>	“And you should always feel pretty,” Amy laughed and gave her a quick hug. “You were heading home, right?”</p>
<p>	“Yeah, I’m heading home.”</p>
<p>	"Then let's get going," Amy hollered out to the world, driving off.</p>
<p>	And as the two drove past all the buildings, parks, and people, Cream felt at peace with herself. All she needed to feel was happy and loved; it was enough.</p>
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